When you think of Bradley Cooper and comic book movies, the first thought that likely comes to mind is him voicing Rocket Raccoon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, that hasn’t been his only contribution to the genre, as he is also credited as a producer on the Academy Award-nominated Joker.
Bradley Cooper hasn’t been mentioned that often during the Joker press tour, but don’t think that doesn’t mean he wasn’t incredibly helpful during the making of the movie. According to Joker’s editor, Jeff Groth:
We kept this one pretty close to us. We screened it more personally for people and filmmakers. Bradley Cooper definitely came in a couple of times. He was a producer on the movie, but he definitely watched the movie many times and sat with us. We could call him if we got stuck with something and be like, ‘Hey, can you come over and take a look at things?’
While Bradley Cooper has been acting professionally for over 20 years, in 2018, Joker wasn’t his first time serving as a producer, as he’s also credited that way for movies like Limitless, America Hustle and American Sniper. Furthermore, he showed off his own filmmaking chops in 2018 with A Star is Born, where he also starred as Jackson Maine alongside Lady Gaga’s Ally Maine.
So per Jeff Groth’s comments to Collider, Bradley Cooper’s assistance was invaluable on Joker, which he produced through the company he runs with director Todd Phillips, Joint Effort. Obviously Phillips was much more intricately involved with the making of Joker, but when it came to picking out small details, Cooper shined brightly, Groth continued:
He doesn’t miss a thing (laughs). He would watch stuff and he would pick out even some of the smallest things and what are some of the things that he can be picked out for us to address. He was definitely a huge help. I think he got a lot more experience in editing than most people would realize.
Bradley Cooper was just one of many individuals who contributed to Joker’s success. The Clown Prince of Crime’s origin story ended up crossing the $1 billion mark, making it the first R-rated movie to do so and setting it as the seventh highest grossing movie of 2019. And that’s not even touching on the numerous accolades it has earned, including two Golden Globe wins and 11 Oscar nominations.
While Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix originally said that Joker would be a one-and-done tale, looking at how the Arthur Fleck story has performed, there’s talk about making a sequel, though nothing is confirmed yet. If Joker 2 does move forward, perhaps Bradley Cooper will help out similarly to what he did on the first movie, or be even more involved.
You can see how Joker fares at the Academy Awards when the ceremony airs on Sunday, February 9 on ABC. In the meantime, you can watch Joker in the comfort of your own home on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital, or you can plan what you’ll be seeing in theaters for the rest of the year with our 2020 release schedule.
